While eager to embrace the teen years, MacLachlan’s Intermediate School recognizes the need for Grade 7 and 8 students to learn how to manage increasing academic demands and higher expectations for independence, responsibility and accountability as they transition to the Upper School academic program. Just as our Lower School IB programme prepares students for the intermediate years by challenging them to think analytically, investigate fully, and apply their knowledge broadly; the intermediate curriculum lays the foundation for high school by focusing on higher-order thinking, inquiry, integration, and international awareness.
Higher-order thinking includes building skills in analysis, critical thinking, synthesis, problem-solving and evaluation using several different learning and teaching techniques. Not only do we help smooth the academic transition from the Primary Years Programme, we also help ease the transition socially and emotionally, fostering a strong foundation which they can use as a springboard into the high school years. We know this time is of critical importance and social skills play a fundamental in academics as well as overall well-being.